Affirmation
by princess lullaby
Summary: When Lenalee suddenly challenges Kanda to a sparring match involving innocence, things go awry as he suspects she must be depressed again for some reason. After all, he really didn't expect to have to tell her twice that she was a strong woman.


**A/N:** I've recently begun re-reading DGM, remembering how I used to love it so much back in 2009. To be honest I initially shipped Lenalee with Allen, but now that I read it again, I've totally fallen in love with KanLee (I realized I'm a sucker for childhood friendships and also sadistic people like Kanda?) Anyways, I actually quite like how this turned out. I hope you do too! Reviews are appreciated!

I've actually got a couple of more ideas for KanLee, so if this first fic is well-received, I may continue adding extra drabble chapters :D

Rated T for language. Because you know, it's Kanda.

Canon with chapter 185 of the manga.

DGM © Katsura Hoshino

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 **Affirmation**

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After igniting another hard blow of the fist, the boy with the jet-black hair slowly lifted an arm up to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand.

His breath became parted as he tried to regain his strength from the last attempt aimed at the old Bookman, who had obliged to spar with him on the first training grounds. Loose strands of long, silky hair blew in the tiny breeze as they freely cascaded onto this back. As he sent the Bookman another fierce, hard glare, he wasn't going to accept the fact that he had just been beat.

"One more round, old man." Kanda declared through gritted teeth, gaze unwavering.

"Come as you wish, Kanda.. I may be old, but when it comes to the forms, I'm not ready to start losing to you young'ins just yet!"

At this, a giant demeaning aura began to surround the samurai, his expression immediately filled with a new rage as the Bookman wrung Kanda's hairtie around his finger in a teasing manner.

"Tch. I'm gonna have you wishing you were a lot younger, Bookman." The black-haired boy spat.

"Kanda-senpai is tough.."

"Bookman, you're incredible! Not giving a single inch to that demon Kanda!"

"Go for it, old man! Take revenge for us finders!"

Surrounding the two of them, towers of finders lay stacked one top of another, all merciful towards their defeat. _Tch._ This is what happens when nobody is around to play with him a little.

Kanda took one last pant before composing himself back to normal, raising a hand in the air in front of him as he prepared his stance for round two. However, before he could begin his first attack, a new presence emerged within the grounds.

"Kanda, why don't you have a round with me instead?"

A familiar feminine voice broke the air between them, catching the attention of him and the rest of his audience. Turning his gaze to the side, he noted his childhood friend, Lenalee Lee, walking towards the center of the training grounds.

"Lenalee-chan!"

The Chinese exorcist strode her way towards her best friend and the bookman, all eyes including the finders' observing her sudden presence. Her short, dark hair complimented the tiny frame of her face, while her deep violet eyes wore a look of determination.

She had just come back from a mission in Sweden, and after checking up on Allen, she found herself having the urge to spar. After all, she wasn't satisfied with how she had done on that mission.

 _Too many._ Lenalee tried her best to repress the flashbacks, closing her eyes briefly in nervousness. _There were too many dead bodies. They were so strong, even I couldn't do anything._

Especially with the growing threat from the Earl, there wasn't any time for her to be dawdling around.

She had to protect her friends.

"Spar with me, Kanda!" Lenalee repeated as she came to a stop in front of the jet-black-haired boy.

Acknowledging her appearance, Kanda loosened his stance and stared at his childhood friend blankly.

Yuu Kanda has known Lenalee Lee for as long he could remember. She was the one person in his life that he- no matter how many times he'd deny upon confrontation from others, had a soft spot for. As a little boy, he gave her solace and a place to go to whenever she needed a peace of mind. As an 18 year old, he continued to become that refuge for her, and it scared him like hell whenever he heard she was in danger on the battlefield.

That's why, with one swift scan at her perfectly-shaped, petite body which was covered in bandages and bruises, he had come to a quick conclusion on an answer.

Sparring with her? Like hell was that going to happen.

"No." He announced in a monotone voice, looking back at the bookman as he dismissed her with two letters.

At this, Lenalee's mouth pouted. "Why not!?"

"You sure have the nerve to come here and challenge me to a spar while looking like that." Kanda muttered in annoyance. _But of course she does, she's Lenalee._

The Chinese exorcist nearly scoffed. "Don't underestimate me, Kanda! I've healed considerably since returning."

Ha. Like that was good enough for him.

"I refuse to spar with you." He said again, uninterested.

"Why? Could it be because you know you'll lose?"

Immediately, Kanda felt a nerve rise on his forehead. Whenever he refused her of something, Lenalee would always know how to play with his ego. She was the best at that out of everyone. Getting the reaction she wanted from him, the girl with the dark hair grinned.

The samurai proceeded to shift his body towards his childhood friend, clenching his hands into fists at the side of his black sweats. "I'm not going to go easy on you."

"That's fine, Kanda, I just have one condition." All eyes turned to the Chinese girl, who continued.

"We'll use our innocence."

Suddenly, a rise of chatter and complaint emerged within the finders. At her proposition, Kanda narrowed his eyes into slits suspisciously. It was unusual itself that Lenalee would suddenly come and challenge him to a spar- something he had normally only done with the moyashi. Now she wanted to involve innocence? Where was she trying to go with this?

"Do you want to die?" Kanda said, replacing his thoughts with the simple but rhetorical question. No doubt, Mugen and Dark boots will definitely not create a pretty scene on this training ground.

"You're underestimating me." Lenalee pouted once more.

He anticipated a further drabble from her, probably just stuff about his big head and usual bad attitude. As he had begun to tune her out, he suddenly froze at a certain observation.

If it weren't for the slight tremor he noticed in her hands, he would've overlooked everything.

"-Weren't you the one who said I was strong?" She finished. That shakiness in her voice may be subtle enough to go by others, but not him. Not after all the times she's invaded his room whenever she was upset with something.

Ah, not this again.

Knowing her, she would probably give him more shit if he backed out now. Whatever. The initial idea of punching a girl- especially Lenalee, didn't exactly sit too well with him in the first place. She may be known to have a strong fist, but no matter how you look at it, he was a lot bigger and stronger than her physically.

"Fine then." Kanda closed his eyes as he made way towards the upper ledge of the training ground, a few of the finders scattering out of his way as he picked up his sword laying on the ledge. As he made his way back towards the center, the bookman took a few steps back to allow a large space for him and Lenalee.

"Old man, I'll entertain you with my comeback next time." Kanda smirked, his eyes now fixated on the girl in front of him. The rest of the finders scurried themselves over to the ledge, some of them hiding behind it in anticipation of the fight's impact.

Without further hesitation, Kanda charged straight ahead towards the Chinese girl, lifting his blade into the air above him for a hard slice.

In a split second, Lenalee had begun to activate her Dark boots, the blood-metal rings around her ankles quickly transforming into high stilettos with kneepads. Kanda watched as it took form- not really sure what to feel going against his childhood friend's crystal-type innocence.

As he approached her in almost no time at all, he struck the blade straight down at her, though his katana had only managed to come in contact with the hard cement ground below, leaving long cracks at its surface. As he looked up into the air above him, his eyes widened as Lenalee's heel came rushing down at him at top speed.

 _Fuck,_ Kanda cursed as he retreated from his spot as quickly as he could, skidding backwards once her foot had crashed down onto the same spot he first damaged the ground. A large supersonic wave broke from her hit, sending giant waves radiating from the center.

"L-Lenalee-chan..!" A finder peeked from the ledge far away, eyes wide at the impact. "Your brother is going to be very upset at the damage!"

 _So we're going all out, are we?_ Kanda used an arm to block the wind that blew against his face, sending his black locks away from his vision. _In that case.._

As soon as possible, Kanda aimed his sword towards the side of the ground, lifting his hand and running his index and middle finger along the back of the blade ominously. If he was planning on getting onto Lenalee's level, he'd have to take this up a notch.

"Mugen, unsheathe."

Lenalee leaned a knee against the ground, her palms touching the cement for support as she watched Kanda's blade turn into a shining silver. Her short hair cascaded around the shape of her face perfectly, and she smirked at the new revelation. _He's finally going to get serious._

"Kaichū: Ichigen!"

In a single swing of Mugen, a series of four-eyed spirits emerged from the blade, charging themselves towards her at a rapid pace.

 _Dark boots, please lend me your power._ Lenalee thought, furrowing her eyebrows at the demons that inched closer.

In a split second, she felt a wave of power surge from her feet, and it was then that she knew she was ready. As she pushed off of the ground with all of her strength, she darted straight towards the demons coming at her from ahead.

As swiftly as she could, her boots adopted a sharp blade-like property, slashing through the illusions and making them disappear as quickly as they had formed. Kanda didn't have time to revere in her ability to get rid of his illusions- she was instantaneously near him.

 _Shit,_ Kanda furrowed his brows.

"Nigentou!"

The moment Lenalee's boots had attempted to slice his face, the sole of her foot had slammed against the center of the cross-hatched electrical swords Kanda had generated. Unpleased with her failed attack, she took advantage of the momentum in the air to bounce herself off of the sword and back onto her feet at a considerable distance.

"You ready to be finished, Lenalee?" The jet-black-haired boy smirked in amusement. "Hakka Tourou."

"Eight-Flower Mantis?" The Chinese exorcist repeated, clenching her fists at the thought of having to brace such a powerful attack.

He didn't give her more time to think as he then charged directly at her, making his first out of eight slashes.

 _Faster, please, faster._ Lenalee begged, feeling a drop of sweat roll down the side of her face as she used her boots to dodge Kanda's agility.

Second slash.

 _Faster._

Third slash,

 _Faster._

Fourth slash

 _Faster!_

Fifth slash.

 _I said faster!_

Sixth slash.

 _Please!_

Seventh slash.

After the seventh slash, Lenalee felt her back come into harsh contact with the cement wall behind her. She was levitating off of the ground so that she hung a bit higher than Kanda, though still at a distance where he was able to make his final slash.

 _No, I need to mov-_

Suddenly, a sharp excruciating pain radiated throughout her legs, one that made her wince considerably. She chastised herself for letting her wounds from the previous mission get to her at such a time.

She silently ordered herself to move, away from the final impact, but it was too late.

Kanda made the eighth and final slash, unknown to the fact that she was now unable to control herself. In a split second, his electric blade had diced right onto her blood-red boots, a sharp noise clanging against the metal as a burst of light radiated from the contact.

He hadn't have enough time to react until he had already made his slice. Widening his eyes in surprise at his successful attack, Lenalee let out a loud groan at the hit, closing her eyes from the impact.

However, she decided there couldn't be a more perfect time to take advantage of the situation. As Kanda immediately retreated his Mugen and shielded his eyes from the light, Lenalee peered an eye open and gazed above into the air, feeling a slight resurge in residual power. _Yes, I can still make it._

"Not finished yet," she announced through gritted teeth. With all of her might, she begged, no- _commanded_ her boots to use its remaining strength to fly her into the air.

Kanda watched as the ray of light disappeared once Lenalee had shot herself up. Almost instantaneously, he had a bad feeling.

She went higher, higher..

And higher.

"Don't tell me, like that time..." His mind flashed back to the day HQ was invaded by the Level 4 Akuma. He remembered how Allen and Lenalee had collectively teamed up to deliver a powerful shot with Lenalee's boots, straight into the Akuma's center.

Oh, but don't get him wrong.

Dying wasn't his biggest worry here.

Before he knew it, she had reached her desired height, and he watched as she began rushing down at a dangerous speed.

 _This attack should finish it!_ Lenalee thought, feeling a rush of adrenaline inside her veins. _After this, I-_

Suddenly, another wave of the sharp pain from before radiated itself- this time through her entire body. As she let out a gasp in surprise, her heart sank at the feeling of her activated innocence fading away.

"No, please-"

But in a matter of no time at all, her innocence had returned to tiny red rings around her ankles, the pair already beginning to form noticeable cracks. Her body immediately felt weak, tired, worn-out, as she was now at the mercy of gravity.

"LENALEE-CHAN!" A bunch of finders exclaimed into the air, unsure of what to do at her increasingly rapid fall.

 _Not good..!_ Bookman thought, attempting to come up with a quick resolve.

 _Her boots deactivated!?_ Kanda screamed internally, his heart racing as he was thrown into a state of irrevocable panic. Her body began to draw nearer to the hard, cement ground. _From that height.._

No.

Lenalee Lee can't die here, not like this and not before him.

"Tch." Kanda grunted before sprinting from his toes, rushing with all of his strength towards the falling girl.

Everything that happened after that seemed like an eternity.

As Lenalee's body hurriedly rushed to the ground, screams and yelling filled the air from the finders around them. Lenalee closed her eyes, bracing for impact with the cement floor.

However, instead of feeling her head crack open, the last thing she felt was her body coming into contact with Kanda's strong stature until they both were plummeted to the ground.

When she opened her eyes, the side of her head was laying on a strong chest. As she looked more closely, she noticed herself sitting in between two long legs with one of them arched at the knee for support. Turning her head further to the side, her gaze came in contact with a pained samurai.

A spark of worry elicited in her face. "Kanda! are you oka-"

"Are you _stupid!?_ "

Lenalee flinched away a little, shocked at his sudden aggressiveness. She watched as a distinct gleam of anger took over Kanda's eyes. "Who told you to spar if you can't even control your innocence properly in this state!?"

At his outburst, the Chinese exorcist hooded her eyes, darting her gaze away from Kanda's view and towards their audience.

She had failed, again.

Is this really all that she was capable of?

As if on cue, she felt a clear substance screen her vision, biting her lip as the first few tears rolled down her cheek in silence.

From a distance, the finders gasped in shock.

"He made her cry."

"Lenalee-chan is sad now!"

"Komui will have his head."

 _I can hear that, you fucks._ Kanda flickered his eyes up and shot them a cold glare, one that made them shut up immediately.

"Tch.." The samurai looked down, back towards his childhood friend who still had her head turned away from him. At that moment, he had a sudden realization. Carefully scanning her body, his eyes rested on the rings at her ankles. Immediately, he was reminded of how they formed in the first place.

Doesn't this mean she would have to draw more blood to repair it?

At this, Kanda began to feel his heart sink to his stomach. Realizing that he had been the cause of this, he remained silent and planted the palm of his hand onto the top of Lenalee's head, the Chinese girl widening her eyes in surprise before he twisted her gaze back at him.

After seeing her teary-eyed expression for himself, he raised a hand to touch the underside of her chin, examining her expression for any signs of physical weakness.

"Does it hurt?"

Lenalee, taken aback by the sudden gesture, felt her lips part in surprise. Even though the way he had asked that seemed harsh, his face was solemn and kind.

Instead of giving him a proper response, the two of them stayed like this for a few seconds, her violet orbs attempting to read his dark blue jewels and vice versa. Kanda was someone who says things with his eyes; and she could tell in this very moment that he was a lot more concerned about her than he'd like to admit.

Really, she couldn't tell if she hated the fact that an even emotionless person like Kanda was able to pity her in this moment.

 _So even someone like Kanda is capable of such gentle gestures.._ Bookman observed from afar.

After another second passed, Lenalee blinked twice and then gently pushed his hand away, further hooding her eyes sullenly. "I'm fine.. it's not your fault. I was weakened to begin with, that's why I managed to get hit. I'm sorry."

As she rushed through the last bit of her sentence, Lenalee was the first to attempt standing, reaching not even mid-point until a third sharp pain ran through her legs. As she felt her body collapse once more, Kanda slid an arm around her shoulder to catch her stumble. Her tiny frame leaned against him again as she then wrung her own arm around his neck for support.

Kanda felt his irritation rise. "Try saying you're fine one more time."

His attention shifted towards a tiny shaking that began to take place in her hands, one that he could feel on his neck from their contact. Loosening his expression once more, he sighed in defeat before moving his hand onto the small of her back and shifting his head down a little to get closer to her head.

"You're strong, Lenalee. I told you that once before. I don't know what happened, but you didn't have to come here to affirm that again."

At this, Lenalee stopped to remember the time she escaped to his room during Leverrier's visit, where he told her the exact same thing. She recalled how his words themselves managed to give her strength- something that she suddenly felt stupid for forgetting she had.

Feeling her heart race at his comfort, she moved her head towards him so that her mouth aligned with his ear. "Thank you, Kanda."

Her gratitude was responded with a closed eye smirk.

"Lenalee-chan is hurt!"

"Ahh, miss Lenalee's beautiful body is injured!"

The amount of inappropriate comments that subsequently bursted into the air was enough to make Kanda throw up in his mouth a little. As the finders began to rush their way towards them, he couldn't help but feel complete and utter disgust at Lenalee's fanboys and her unnecessary popularity.

Before they became swarmed with the finders, Kanda slid his left arm under her knees while the other one remained at her back. In a quick motion and a tiny gasp from Lenalee, he lifted her up and then subsequently found himself back onto his own feet.

His childhood friend felt her face turn a tiny shade of pink at his carry. "K-Kanda-"

"Shut up. Unless you want to be dropped."

Suddenly, a finder with short scrunchy black hair approached the two of them first, his expression filled with growing concern. "Kanda-senpai! It's best if I take Lenalee-chan to the hospital ward. You should rest-"

The moment he reached out a hand towards the Chinese exorcist, Kanda shifted her slightly to the side, away from his touch.

"Like hell you are." He responded with a glare that made the finders' hair stick up on the back of his neck. "I'll do it myself." _I don't need people who got beaten down by me to do any troublesome favors. Who knows what could happen to her while she's in this vulnerable state._

The Bookman fled himself towards the center of the scene, however, Kanda had already begun his walk towards the inside of HQ.

"Does this mean you'll have to draw more blood to repair your innocence?" The samurai asked his previous thought.

Lenalee pondered for a moment before nodding her head a few times in playful certainty. "Mm, probably."

"Tch. Don't say that with such a carefree expression. You should value your life more."

"Hm. Says someone who could care less about people's lives."

"Doesn't mean yours will go unnoticed."

Lenalee responded by chastising her childhood friend further, urging him for a future rematch. In response, Kanda muttered a few unintelligible things and proceeded to tune her out while she drabbled on. Eventually, the two of them reached a point where they could no longer be heard as their figures disappeared out of the training grounds.

At this, the bookman couldn't help but give a grin. What a scene to record.

"It must be good to be young, after all."

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 _Fin._


End file.
